The Tale of Tinánia
by Elvenfox
Summary: How? How was she supposed to remove this hate that she saw in his eyes. The hate that reminded her that every mistake had been piled together. Now she has a chance to help him achieve what he wants most, reclaim what's his. But could she do this while putting together the broken pieces that are him? Or will she enforce the loathing towards her people that resonates in him? ThorinOC


_**Prologue**_

As a child, she was different from others of the elvish community, who were proper and beautiful, graceful and intelligent, but shut out from other regions of Middle Earth. Other elflings wanted to learn about their culture alone, to be like their parents in protecting their lands from outside threats. They were concerned about what elves were supposed to concern themselves with, and left the rest of the world to tidy up their own problems.

When her parent s first had her, they had the expectations that she would be this way, possibly a potential fine young woman who would catch the eye of one of the lord's two sons. Or perhaps a great artist, who would paint the stories and legends of her time on the walls of Rivendell, for generations later to stare up at in awe.

What they received was Tinánia, a she elf who showed an intense fascination with everything that didn't have to do with Rivendell, with its people or history. Instead she focused on the cultures and lands of everyone else, giving momentary glances to the elvish realms of Lothlorien and Mirkwood, but she was more intrigued by the world of men and dwarves. Tinánia would spend her days in the library of Rivendell from the time she could read the words for herself, learning all she could about the people who were not like her, much to the chagrin of everyone around her.

By the time she had passed her two hundredth year, she had read almost every book the library held, and so boredom began to set in. She turned to archery and daggers, the weapons of choice of her people, but she found little true joy in simply shooting a target set up in the courtyard. At her parents pleading she focused on her art, her writing, taking account of adventures that the warrior elves had when they returned. She found slight happiness in this, simply for the fact that she heard new tales from beyond the borders.

It took fifty years, a simple blink of an eye for an elf, but eventually it became clear that the young Tinánia was not content in simply writing others stories, the books in the library having been completely studied; read and reread until words were almost memorized off every page. So a plan was set in order…

"Lord Elrond." Tinánia bowed her head to her leader, who sat in his throne with the sunlight highlighting his gold crown that sat in all its glory on the top of his head. She took a seat across from him, the silence making her uncomfortable as he stared her down, crossing his hands on his lap.

"I have a proposition for you Tinánia, something that may benefit you." It was not what she was expecting to hear, so she sat up straight and tried not to imagine the inane activity he had planned for her now. Maybe she was about to take up tapestry, perhaps she was about to be told that they were going to just give her a husband now. All the elves here had the same features, dark hair, dark eyes, sharp features. She was no exception, and the similarities between her and a possible suitor made them even more unappealing to her.

"Please share." Politeness, it had been drilled into her head from her first breath.

"I have been thinking that it is time to strengthen our ties with our fellow elves."

"I thought our ties with Lothlorien and the Lady Galadriel were strong?" After all, Lord Elrond's daughter and son's were the Lady's kin as well. You couldn't find a stronger tie than that.

"It is not of Lothlorien that I am speaking of. I was more inclined to focus on our Mirkwood kin."

"Oh…" Tinánia processed for a second. "Oh! You mean to say my Lord that you are wishing to send me to Lord Thranduil's realm?" There were plenty more qualified elves, older and wiser, and more refined and expected in behavior.

"Lord Thranduil had mentioned that he wishes to encourage trade with the neighboring kingdoms. The one of men, Dale, and the great dwarven kingdom or Erebor. I sent word to Mirkwood that I have chosen you, stating in the letter that you were knowledgeable of other kingdoms and people, that you would know how to act properly in front of all kings. Unless your years spent in the library were simply you passing time, I can have faith that I assumed correctly."

Tinánia was still shocked. "I-um well yes Lord Elrond. That would be correct."

"Good." Elrond stood and walked over to a long table, covered with maps and scrolls, some so faded that anyone who didn't have elven eyes would find it impossible to decipher the writing. He pulled out a larger one and passed it to her. "I am aware you are probably quite knowledgeable of the land, but perhaps a map will still be useful."

Tinánia stood, her fingers clasping the map to her side, the brief meeting coming to an even briefer close. Lord Elrond walked over to his balcony overlooking a meeting area below.

"I will be sending a small guard to go with you up until the edge of Mirkwood forest. There you will meet with a convey from Mirkwood who will lead you to your new home. I believe Lord Thranduil's son will be leading them."

A royal greeting as soon as she reached the forest, her mind was finding it harder and harder to wrap around this idea. "Lord Elrond, this is all so sudden. I am unsure on whether or not I am prepared to leave everything I have known on such short notice." Tinánia was being truthful, though she longed for something outside of the ordinary, now that she was given the opportunity her feet halted their hurry to leave.

Elrond smiled at her, a small glimpse for what was underneath the mask. "It is of course understandable of your hesitation, but since you were small you have been exuding the aura of a caged bird. Is it your truest wish to remain here in Rivendell forever?"

"But my Lord….my parents." Her mother and father had gone to Lothlorien two moons ago, and were not set to return for at least three more.

"I had spoken with them before they left, we have been speaking of you for longer than you would believe. They are aware, and were agreeable to the idea. I know that you are thinking about the idea of leaving before you see them, but you are not being banished to Mirkwood. You are welcome back to Rivendell anytime you wish. Your parents will always be here waiting."

"I suppose…" Tinánia shuffled a leaf around with her shoe, unable to really come up with an excuse other than the truth which was the simple truth that she was scared of the thought that she could now leave.

"What if- what if I fail to be effective?" The words spilled out of her mouth quickly, her mind rushing to steady the stream of consciousness. "What if the world isn't what I expected? What if Lord Thranduil finds me irresponsible and sends me back in shame? What if I do well with him but then I make a fool of myself amongst the other kingdoms?"

"What if you are driven mad by letting this chance slip by, trapping you here?" Elrond stepped on her leaf and pushed it away.

"At least I am aware of what could happen here, and I can battle that."

"But it would win in the end, and you and I are both knowledgeable enough to be aware that this is true." It was, Tinánia knew it. By elven years she was barely considered outside her childhood, but even she was smart enough to know that she couldn't stand being cooped up in one small area when the world was waiting out there.

"When shall I leave then?" She wouldn't fight this; she would just hope it turned out alright. Terrified nerves were still there, but her logical sense was overriding everything else.

"You're company will be waiting for you at the gates at sundown. I thought it would be within the lines of the best intentions for you to have time to gather your belongings.

'How gracious.' Tinánia resisted all urges to roll her eyes, after all that was very un-elven thing to do. Instead she pulled her mouth into a smile and nodded, keeping her mouth shut the entire time. Mentally she started to pack what she needed in her mind, and she realized that she was unaware where half of her belongings were.

"Very well. I will attempt to be there when you leave tonight, but in case I am not, please be aware that we will miss you here in Rivendell."

"I will miss you all as well." It was mostly true; she would miss the people here in her home. She just wouldn't miss the fact that she felt like it was a very enchanting cage.

"I am glad to hear it." Elrond smiled slightly. "That is all Tinánia. Go on your way."

**XXX**

She loaded a pack onto the back of her horse, buckling it down so it wouldn't bounce off in the middle of her journey. She had packed what was to be expected, several dresses, her books and writings, as well as some of her art supplies. While she was travelling away from anyone that actually knew her there was still an expectation that she was to behave like a proper she-elf.

Behind Tinánia stood a small group of elves, including Elrond who had indeed arrived on time, his daughter Arwen, and his sons Elladan and Elrohir. Elladan was probably the closest to Tinánia, talking to her about the outside world more often, and had been there when she had been training with weapons, giving her advice whenever it was needed. There had been a time where Tinánia was certain his eye had turned onto her, but it was quashed by his mention over two decades ago of another she elf located in Lothlorien, one he met when he visited his family.

Still, if there had ever been a male that she could have considered pledging herself to, Elladan would have most likely at the top of her list. After all he shared the blue eyes of his sister, so at least there was a tiny bit of diversity within his bloodlines. He also did not find her need for knowledge of others as an oddity, which was a welcomed relief.

Once her bag was packed and her horse steadied, Tinánia turned to face her farewell party. Arwen was the first to come up, giving her a brief hug and a beautiful smile. Even among the elven community, she was considered beautiful, and though Tinánia would never admit to such a non-elvish feeling, there was jealousy bubbling up below her surface.

The twins came forward as their sister retreated, identical smiles on their faces. Tinánia briefly wondered how Elrond had dealt with raising three children, but then remembered that they had been basically grown when their mother was killed by orcs. It was never mentioned out loud but known by all, and Tinánia had learned more than most during her time studying.

"Tinánia." Elrohir bowed his head to her and placed a strong hand on her shoulder. A slight squeeze let her know that he would slightly miss her, bless the elves for having whole conversations with the smallest of looks. He took one step back as Elladan stepped forward, his hands wrapped around a large, leather bound book.

"Here." He held his arms out and she wrapped her fingers around the book. "I brought it back from Lothlorien. I knew we didn't have it in our library and realized you would give me nothing but disdain if I kept it from you."

Tinánia ran her fingers down the binding slowly before cracking it open. The book spoke of the different races of Middle Earth, of men, dwarves, elves and hobbits. The last one caught her interest.

"I have heard of hobbits, they live north of us I believe, but I don't know anything about them." She pulled the book close to her chest and hugged it tight. "Thank you Elladan, I know I will enjoy this immensely."

"I believed that to be true." He smiled at her and leaned forward, planting a kiss on her forehead. He pulled away and the twins left, going back to stand by Arwen.

"You shall be missed Tinánia." Elrond walked toward her with open arms before wrapping them around her briefly. "All of our books may remain on their shelves for more than one hour now."

"A tragic shame really." Tinánia smiled at him and patted his arms. "There is still time to change your mind, send one of your sons instead of me."

"I have faith in you." The wisdom in Elrond's eyes shone and for a second Tinánia believed in his words. "Have faith in yourself, trust what you feel."

Lord Elrond walked away, not once looking back as Tinánia climbed upon her horse and herself and small group of guards left Rivendell.

**XXX**

It had taken a couple weeks, but Tinánia found herself standing at the edge of Mirkwood forest, the grand trees reaching out on the edge towards her small company. Below the darkened branches sat two elves on horseback. It was the first time she had really seen anyone who wasn't from Mirkwood and the contrast took a moment for her to recover from.

Even though they were both from Mirkwood they were distinctly different from each other. The male, who was in front, had strikingly blonde hair that lay perfectly straight down his back, while his piercing blue eyes scanned the scene unfolding before him. This had to be Prince Legolas. Tinánia remembered she had been informed that he would be escorting her for the last part of her journey, away from her current guard.

Behind him was an unknown she-elf, with fiery red hair that cascaded into waves down past her lower back, and her whole presence made Tinánia feel that she was almost more dangerous than the prince. It was clear that these two were the kind of elves that had trained their entire lives to be great warriors and fighters. Tinánia suddenly felt very small and underprepared for her sudden excursion.

"My lord," Tinánia bowed her head as Prince Legolas rode up beside her. He returned her gesture and gave her a kind smile.

"Lady Tinánia, it is good of you to join us here." He nodded to her guard, who without a word turned and began their journey back. Elves were wonders when it came to brief conversations, but after all they felt like they had eternity to pick up the conversation later. "I hope your journey was pleasant between Rivendell and here."

"Extremely my lord, I am grateful for this opportunity." The prince smirked quickly before turning to his companion.

"May I introduce Lady Tauriel, one of my father's elite guards." The fire haired she elf smiled while nodding.

"A pleasure to meet you. I hope you will enjoy your time here in Mirkwood's realm."

"I am sure that nothing is more certain."

"Well, we should be going, it is at least a day through the forest until we reach our home." The horses began to walk into the tall, thick trees, hooves finding a path that would be invisible to all others eyes who weren't elves. "We will rest for a day when we arrive but then we must travel east to the kingdom of Erebor."

"The dwarven kingdom?"

"Indeed." Legolas could see that Tinánia's interest was piqued. "The dwarven king Thrain is celebrating the birth of his grandson and heir, Thorin."

**XXX**

** Alright so starting a new story, and giving you all a heads up now that the updates will not be super quick because I am writing three things simultaneously and want to keep them all updated at an equal place. Still reviews are always welcome. Hope you all enjoy!**


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